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Press Kits - Information About Fraud - Fraud Awareness Month

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B.C. residents are serious
about protecting themselves: 95% take action to prevent
fraud:
TD Canada Trust challenges British Columbians to test their fraud
savviness to mark Fraud Awareness Month in
March

TORONTO (February 25, 2010)
– British Columbians are worried about fraud and are
taking steps to protect themselves. Eighty-three per cent of
British Columbians are concerned about fraud, and 95% take
preventative steps to avoid becoming a victim, from shredding
documents (77%) to shielding their Personal Identification Number
(PIN) (57%), according to the TD Canada Trust Fraud Prevention
Month Poll.

“It is very encouraging to see so many
British Columbians taking action to help protect
themselves,” says Andrea Phillips, Vice President,
Payments, TD Canada Trust. “Financial institutions have
sophisticated monitoring and detection tools in place and work
closely with law enforcement to help protect their customers from
fraud. Canadians can take further steps to greatly reduce their
risk by becoming aware and taking precautions to protect
themselves.”

The TD Canada Trust Fraud Prevention Month Poll
revealed that other actions taken by British Columbians to prevent
fraud include speaking with their bank about reducing their daily
withdrawal limit (10%) and changing their PIN every couple of
months (7%).

While 95% of British Columbians say they take some
action to protect themselves, the poll showed that a few are
engaging in risky behaviour: B.C. residents are most likely in the
country to have sent their credit card number over email (27%
versus 21% nationally). Twelve per cent have told someone their
debit card PIN and 9% have carried their PIN in their wallet.

“Despite the overwhelming number of
British Columbians who are taking preventive action, there is still
room for improvement. TD Canada Trust is committed to educating
people to help replace some risky habits with secure
ones,” says Phillips.

In support of Fraud Prevention Month, TD Canada
Trust developed the following quiz to help Canadians determine how
fraud savvy they are and learn what they can do to help protect
themselves. Andrea Phillips is available for interviews to discuss
the quiz and fraud prevention strategies.

TD CANADA TRUST FRAUD PREVENTION
QUIZ:

What does a criminal need to make a copy of your card and
access your account?

The card -- my Personal Identification Number (PIN) is on the
stripe

My PIN -- they can use a blank card

The card and my PIN together

A customer’s PIN is located on the magnetic strip on
their card

True

False

How often should you cover the key pad when you enter your PIN?

Always

Sometimes

Never

What is Phishing?

Looking over someone’s shoulder at an ABM to learn
their PIN

A scam done over the phone or via email to obtain personal and
financial information

Rifling through the garbage to look for discarded receipts and
statements

A salesperson asks you for your PIN, saying their new keypad
doesn’t stretch that far and they have to enter it
themselves. You:

Give them your PIN and debit card

Decline to give them your PIN but continue your transaction and
move around the counter to enter your PIN yourself

Leave and contact your financial institution

How often should you check your banking and credit card
statements for discrepancies?

Always

Often

Never

You do your banking online, so when you receive your statement
in the mail you should:

Throw it away without opening it

Read it and put it in the recycling

Read it and shred it

How secure should you be with your debit and credit cards?

Fairly secure – don’t loan them to
strangers but it’s OK if family and friends borrow
them

Don’t sweat it. If someone steals them you will be
reimbursed

Treat them like cash and know where they are at all times

You go to pay for lunch and your credit card is gone. What
should you do?

Call your credit card company immediately to report it
lost

Dine and dash

Drop by your bank branch a few days later to report it
missing

What should you do if you receive an email from your financial
institution asking for your banking information?

Enter the information

Delete it because your financial institution would never ask
for your banking information via email

Contact the email sender to find out more

What should you do with expired identification and credit
cards?

Throw them away

Save them because you like the way you look in the photo

Shred them

You sell something online to a stranger who sends you a cheque
for too much and asks you to wire the difference. You should:

Do as they ask because you trust the selling site

Do as they ask because if the cheque’s no good your
bank will reimburse you

If you scored 20-24: You run a tight ship
– your information is pretty safe

You have a place for everything and everything is in its place
so you know almost instantly if something is missing or not right.
Now, while you may not apply this strategy to every aspect of your
life (we know about your junk drawer), you know that your debit and
credit card is safest with you and you know how to keep them from
getting into the wrong hands.

Not only do you shield your PIN during the transaction but you
take your transaction record and destroy it when you no longer need
it. Remember to do the same with any expired identification or
personal papers you no longer need.

Credit and debit card fraud are rare, and fraudsters tend to
pick on easy targets, so keep up the good behaviour and you
probably don’t have much to worry about.

If you scored 14-18: You know the basics,
but there is more you can do to protect yourself

Take extra precautions to protect your personal information.
Maybe you don’t share your PIN with anyone –
but are you sure your PIN is a number that would be hard to guess?
Avoid using your birthday or part of your phone number.

Since e-mail isn’t always secure, you know better
than to send private information, like your credit card number,
this way – but remember, not all websites are secure
either.

Make sure you are shopping on a secure website or look for
merchants who use added security features, like Verified by Visa,
before entering your credit card information.

Also, shred your personal information. There is only one of
you, let’s keep it that way.

If you scored under 14: Be careful
– you’re sharing too much!

Take the time to protect what is important – your
identity, your money and yourself. Don’t be so carefree
with personal information. Never lend your cards to anyone, or give
anyone your PIN. Even better, memorize your PIN so you
don’t need to write it down. And, never carry your PIN
with your wallet.

Unless you initiated the call, do not provide your credit card
number over the phone.

Though email is a convenient way to contact someone, your
financial institution will never ask you to verify your banking
information that way. And remember, that king from a far off land
asking you to share your bank account information is not actually
going to make you rich.

TD CANADA TRUST FRAUD PREVENTION MONTH
POLL

The TD Canada Trust Fraud Prevention Month Poll,
conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion, a division of Vision
Critical, surveyed adult Canadians with debit and credit cards to
gain a better understanding of Canadians’ concerns over
fraud. The total sample size includes 1,059 working Canadians with
polling completed February 9-11, 2010. The total sample yielded 120
people in B.C.

TD BANK FINANCIAL GROUP

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are
collectively known as TD Bank Financial Group. TD Bank Financial
Group is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and
serves more than 18 million customers in four key businesses
operating in a number of locations in key financial centres around
the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD
Canada Trust and TD Insurance; Wealth Management, including TD
Waterhouse and an investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and
Commercial Banking, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient
Bank; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD Bank
Financial Group also ranks among the world's leading online
financial services firms, with more than 6 million online
customers. TD Bank Financial Group had CDN$557 billion in assets on
October 31, 2009. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol
"TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock
Exchanges.